In many manufacturing industries, dust around the work area is a consistant problem. It is a particularily serious problem in industries working with biologically hazardous materials, such as in the manufacture of lead-acid batteries. As the lead is handled, and as battery assemblies and sub-assemblies move down the production line, metallic lead dust and lead oxide dusts fall to the floor around the machines. Lead on the floor collects on a workers shoes, socks, and clothing, and is stirred up by movement, and inhaled.
To reduce the hazard involved, elevated, open-surface, raised walkways have been provided, so that the worker does not walk directly in the falling dust. A more effective way of minimizing the hazard is to dig pits or trenches around the machines used in the manufacturing operation, and cover these pits or trenches with a perforated cover, and fill them with a fluid, perferably non-evaporative, for entrapping dust particals that may fall through the cover. Such pits or trenches require cleaning from time to time, a difficult and time consuming operation. In addition, it is necessary on an infrequent basis to re-configure a production line to produce various types or styles of battery. In that case, new pits or trenches must be constructed in the flooring around the machines in the revised configuration.
The instant invention overcomes these and other deficiencies of prior attempts to solve a similar problem.